Page 41 of Spooks & Specters

“So, we still doing this?”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kage asked.

“All of my ideas are usually good.” Axel pulled his shirt over his head. Winking, he tossed it on the bed. Maybe if he joked about the matter, neither one of them would pick up how nervous Axel actually was.

What if he called his wolf and nothing happened?

Startled, Kage barked out a laugh. “Usually good? In what reality are you living in? Because it damn sure isn’t this one. Your ideas are usually shit.”

Axel’s hands rested on the waistband of his sweatpants. “Says you. Okay, the pants are coming off. Are you in or out?”

Kage ran a hand through his hair, then turned to Terry. “What do you think?”

“It’s only been a little over a week since his rescue,” Terry answered, biting his lip.

Axel noticed Terry’s nervous gesture and a spurt of warmth started in his stomach. He wanted to be the one nibbling on Terry’s bottom lip. Too bad the doctor would probably rather give him an enema than allow that.

“But Axel knows his body better than any of us,” Terry said slowly. “If he says he’s ready to shift, then let him try.”

“Thank you!” Axel exclaimed as he waved toward Terry. “See, Kage? The doc says there’s nothing to worry about.”

Terry pursed his lips. “Now hold on. That’s not exactly what I said.”

“No takebacks.” Grinning, Axel shoved his sweats down and kicked them off.

Axel couldn’t help but notice Kage’s discreet glance off to the side. As a werewolf, Axel had to strip down when he shifted—unlike daemons, who could shift without damaging their clothing. Lucky bastards didn’t have to deal with that.

Terry, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the display. His gaze remained clinical and detached, which was to be expected from a doctor. But part of Axel wished there was some hint of desire in Terry’s eyes. He couldn’t blame him for being professional, though.

Glancing down at his own body, Axel couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. No doubt about it. There wasn’t much about this form that would catch someone’s attention. He longed for the strength and power that came with his shifting abilities, but he couldn’t help but wish for a more impressive physique too. He was such a mess.

“Okay.” Axel took a deep breath, then went down on one knee. “Here goes nothing.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Oh gods. Oh gods, this was exactly what he feared. Had it been too long? Had he lost his wolf? But he could feel him, so…?

Then the tingling started, and Axel was so relieved he wanted to cry. In fact, a lone tear tracked down his face as the tingles spread like wildfire through his body. He glanced up right before the change swept over him. Kage stared at him, concerned.

But the worry, then relief, then finally happiness in Terry’s gaze gave Axel the strength to take the shift all the way.

“You did it!” Terry exclaimed.

A shift was never painful. A shifter’s transformation was just a blur as he shifted, and usually it was incredibly fast. There had been nothing incredible or fast about this, that was for sure, but at least he had managed to call forth his wolf.

Axel plopped down on his butt with a huff, his limbs trembling. That had taken more concentration and energy than he’d been expecting.

“Axel? Can you understand me?” Terry asked.

Terry’s voice echoed through the small room, breaking Axel out of his daze.

Slowly, he nodded his head, his senses sharpening as he focused on Terry’s words. He’d always prided himself on being able to maintain control in his shifter form, but sometimes his animalistic side could still take over, making it harder to resist primal instincts.

But not this time. As he gazed at himself in the mirror on the back of the closet door in his room, sadness washed over him. He looked like a shell of his former self.

His once sleek and vibrant brownish gray coat was now dull and lifeless, a testament to the years of captivity and starvation he’d endured. His lean frame was now nothing but skin and bones, a stark contrast to the powerful and muscular physique he had once possessed.

None of this was surprising, considering what he’d been through for nearly a hundred years.

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